Problems at the St. Cloud Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Minnesota have grown so bad between employees and management that that federal mediation is now being used to ease the tension. Two members of Congress made the recommendation for mediation after they witnessed rising tension at a meeting last week.

The meeting was the result of a federal investigation that revealed a corrosive work environment and fears on the part of employees there would be retribution for voicing their concerns. The controversial two-year-old report came from the VA Office of Inspector General and was never publicly revealed. The investigation showed that complaints on the part of employees about a hostile work environment were warranted and that appointments were being cancelled with patients because of poor staff training. The report stated that overall veteran care had not been compromised.

The recent meeting was described by some as explosive and one of the Congressmen in attendance admitted he was surprised by how much animosity there was between the parties. As a result, neither believes it will be possible for the parties to resolve the issue without help from a third-party. Their goal was to facilitate a better relationship and rebuild trust. Workers complained of being forced to work on their own time, deal with stressful caseloads, and pass notes instead of speak out loud to co-workers.

Mediation is expected to begin immediately and both union representatives and management are reportedly thrilled it will be taking place. They are still in the process of determining the specific details.